Porsche’s first electric sports car will have charging superpowers

Porsche is charged up and ready to go with its first electric sports car, the Mission E.

The luxury sports car brand first introduced the Mission E in 2015 and is expected to release it in 2019. This week the German carmaker’s head of electric vehicles revealed more about its charging capabilities and the company’s plans to take on Tesla.

Stefan Weckbach told Ars Technica the electric car is still very much a Porsche even if things look a bit different under the hood. “The entire company is working towards a single goal: with Mission E, we will offer a fully electric Porsche, which is a perfect fit for our brand, finds approval with our customers, and rightfully bears the name ‘Porsche.'”

In Autoblog, Weckbach added, “Porsche is unlikely to lower itself to gimmicks of this kind or use sound effects” to imitate the sounds of a engine-powered vehicle instead of an ion battery. It’s embracing its electric status.

Tesla claims its Model S can go from 0 to 62 mph in under 3 seconds in Ludicrous mode. Weckbach says the stat has problems, and Porsche been critical of Tesla’s claims before. Instead Weckbach says it’s more important to focus on “reproducible performance and a top speed which can be maintained for long periods.”

Porsche claims the Mission E will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 3.5 seconds.

A look at Porsche’s Tesla competitor.

Image: porsche

An 800-volt super charger means a short charging time — 15 minutes for 250 more miles. The quick charge is dubbed “turbo-charging.”

The Mission E can go about 300 miles on a full single charge. It can still charge at a 400-volt station, which is the typical charging capacity, though it’ll take a bit longer.

The four-door car will also wirelessly charge in special charging garages with a coil installed in the floor. The Porsche will inductively charge over the coil.

The electric car will also be part of a growing Porsche charging network that’s trying to rival Tesla infrastructure. Charging stations are slated to go up at its 189 American Porsche dealerships. Six rapid chargers were already installed at Atlanta’s Porsche Experience Center and the same will follow in Los Angeles.

A European charging system from Porsche with Audi, the BMW Group, Daimler AG, and Ford is in the works for 2020 to bring 400 rapid charging stations along highways.

Other details about the electric sedan had come out last year, including its $85,000 price tag.